I bought those jeans for $1.50 !

According to this infotainment video the reading I did as a child that told me that Levi Strauss invented blue jeans is not true. The story about gold rush miners needing tougher pants is true, but it was Jacob Davis who came up with the idea of riveting pants together. Davis didn’t have the money to develop his idea so he teamed up with Strauss to pay for the patent.

What is interesting is that the original jeans sold in 1886 for $1.50.

I found this neat, depressing and addictive tool to convert historic prices into contemporary prices. On the positive side of things $1.50 from 1886 is about $35 dollars in 2010 money. You can still buy a pair of Levi’s for about that much if you look around a little.

The price comparison tool can be a lot of fun if you read old books, watch old movies or have heard enough from older relatives about how little they have paid for things. This tool will help you put all of those prices into perspective: